A beautiful throne room stands in front of everyone...or so it seems, as it was just a picture Rapunzel puts down. The actual throne room is an absolute mess. Rapunzel frowns a little as she looks at the picture and the throne room. The fight with the Saporians left it this way, and since then, they haven't gotten around to fixing it...
"Okay everyone. After the Saporian attack, this kingdom could use a real pick-me-up. And what better way to bring everyone together than with a community project?"
Everyone except Old Lady Crowley cheers, of course.
"With a little hard work, and a whole lot of Corona spirit, we can rebuild this kingdom!" Rapunzel starts off.
"If we can rebuild Old Corona, we can do anything!" Harmony pumps her fists, her sister take a few shovels from the barrel.
"So let's do it!" She tosses the shovels and everyone catches one.
"Ha ha, yes!"
"Okay!"
"Let's do this thang!"
"Hey! I have the artistic eye!" Catalina protests to her sister as they literally butt heads.
"You dip, I paint!" Kiera argues back.
"I know this is typically your thing, Sunshine," Eugene peeks over the catwalk he's standing on. "But if you're trying to bring everyone together, maybe grueling manual labor isn't the best idea?"
Rapunzel chops a log in half. "Don't think of it as grueling manual labor. Think of it as creativity, through destruction."
Something falls, emitting dust around Feldspar and Old Lady Crowley. "Oh, now look what you made me do!"
"That was your fault, ya loafer!" She insults him.
"Loafer? I've never been so insulted!"
"Feldspar, Old Lady—uh, Mrs. Crowley," Rapunzel steps between the two. "Let's not fight. Yes, we were supposed to keep that wall, but hey, this just gives us more work to do together."
The two groan at her. "This is why Crowley works alone!" She grumbles, walking off. Feldspar clears his throat.
"I'll go get glue," He walks off.
Harmony sticks out her tongue slightly as she's finalizing the design at a makeshift desk. Xavier, Monty, Old Lady Crowley, Varian, and Catalina walk up to the girl.
"Uh, Princess," She looks up at Xavier. "We couldn't help but notice..."
"It seems like..." Monty tries to finish, but he didn't want to be rude about it.
"Your stuff is everywhere, Princess!" Old Lady Crowley interrupts sharply.
"What?" Harmony asks in confusion, sitting up fully. "I don't have my stuff everywhere."
"Um..." Rapunzel gestures to all of her blueprints strewn out everywhere, prototypes in every corner, and tools sticking out from toolboxes, all of it hers.
"...Okay, maybe my things are a bit too much around here," Harmony rubs her neck sheepishly.
"For a Princess, you're not too organized," Varian crosses his arms with a small smirk.
"Says my alchemist of a boyfriend," She retorts back playfully. "Anyway, I'm sorry, but I'm too busy to put everything in one place. There's renovations, my parents, making sure everything is tended to, not to mention people coming and going...some with intentions that are not fan of heart," She glances away, remembering Creighton from not too long ago...that wasn't fun.
"You can use our treehouse!" Catalina offers her.
"And you can put some of your things in my lab," Varian smiles at his girlfriend.
"That's sweet, but while I'm temporary crown princess, I need to help my sister and both locations are too much to go back and forth all the time. And I can't think of a place that has enough storage for all of my stuff. Kiera, get away from there," She walks past all of them, the group staring after the girl.
"Hmm, we need to find a way so that she can store all her things in the castle," Rapunzel rubs her chin. "But later."
More pieces of the wall fall off and Rapunzel turns around, shocked at the sight. It looks to be a map on the wall.
"Here lies King Herz Der Sonne's lost treasure?" Rapunzel exclaims once she's gotten everyone gathered around. "Ha ha! You guys! Wait! This is an honest-to-goodness treasure map! Harmi, did you know about this?"
"No," She shakes her head. "That wall was always untouched, but I guess with the renovation, it finally revealed itself."
"I have heard about the legend of Herz Der Sonne's lost treasure. It is said to be buried in his crypt. The tale begins a millennia-"
"Uh, Xaves?" Eugene interrupts politely. "Bottom line us, would ya?"
"She's right," Xavier says simply. "It's a map."
"This is just the thing to bring everyone together!" Rapunzel whispers to her sister.
Everyone is now outside as the sisters face them. "How many of you have ever dreamed of having a treasure of untold riches?" The blonde smiles, Lance grinning dreamily.
Untold riches...
"Now this is living!" Lance is surrounded by gold, eating some fruit. "Don't you agree, Lance made of caviar?"
"I'll take them all!" Vladimir is being licked by unicorns, laughing.
Max smiles as Eugene and Lance are pulling him instead of the other way around.
"We are holding a Corona-wide race for the lost treasure of Herz Der Sonne!"
Everyone cheers at the news. "But wait! It gets better. Because this is about having fun together...everyone will be racing with a partner!"
The cheering turns into groans. Harmony shakes her head at them. "Not going well so far, is it?" Harmony whispers to her sister.
"Terrific..."
"Who picks our partners?" Vlad asks the two.
"Ah, ah, not who...what," Rapunzel moves away the cloth that was hiding something between the two sisters.
"Couldn't we have just pulled names out of a hat?" Eugene questions them.
"Oh, but it is a HAT!" Harmony holds up a finger. "We call it the Horotory Automated Team-Builder, or HAT. I reused the schematics from the senior bingo at last year's Goodwill Festival," She smirks, hands on her hips before glancing at her sister. "Took a long time to figure out a name to fit those letters, lemme tell ya." Varian smiles at the girl after she was done explaining. It reminds him a little bit of himself. "Rapunzel, would you like to do the honors?"
"Gladly!" She turns the crank, which levitates bimberries to Gregorio. He starts running in the hamster wheel, ringing a bell. A hammer activates the parts that draws the names, which go to a tiny slide and to a bowl. "And our first team is...Stan...and-"
"Pete! Stan and Pete!" Pete cheers, hoping that his partner is his teammate.
"Angry!"
"What? This is an outrage! It's Stan and Pete! Everyone knows it's always Stan and Pete!" He protests at this. Daisy rolls her eyes at him, lightly chirping.
"Yeah, and I don't wanna be paired up with some dopey guard," Kiera complains with her arms crossed.
"You're not paired up with some dopey guard, you're paired up with—ohhh..."
"Kiera," Harmony gives her a stern look, hands on her hips.
"Sorry Mom."
Two more fall into the bowl and Rapunzel reads them. "Pascal and Max! Aww, cute!" She smiles at this. Pascal holds out his fist, and when Max hits it, he sends the chameleon flying. Daisy flies after him, Max smiling sheepishly.
"Xavier...and Varian!"
The two smile at each other.
"Ruddiger...and Hamuel!"
"Oh," Harmony winces at this. She knew that when she wrote that name down, that no one would be lucky to have him as a partner...Rapunzel throws the two names away and they land on the crow's eyes. The raccoon visibly sags at this.
"Eugene...and of course, Lance."
Eugene laughs at the pairing. "Are you kidding me? Me and Lance, together, searching for treasure? Just give it to us right now, folks!"
"Someone's cocky," Harmony smiles in amusement, rolling her eyes.
"And finally...me, and Feldspar!" She laughs, holding up her hand. "Up high, Feldspar, come on."
"Oh, please don't hit me!" He recoils back before realizing she wouldn't do that. "Oh, oh, I get it, it's a gesture of camaraderie! Well then, I'm all in! Up high, woo hoo!" He holds up her hand and high-fives her. "Ow."
"Okay everyone, Harmi will now give you the rules!" Rapunzel smiles at everyone.
"Uhh..." Lance glances around. "But we're an odd number of people."
Daisy chirps at him angrily for forgetting that she counts as well.
"Oh, I must've forgotten to put our names in when I was building this," Harmony facepalms, turning to Daisy. "Well, then I guess we get to join another team. Wouldn't be fair if we paired up since..." She glances towards the smug former thieves, Max, and Pascal.
"How is it fair that two other teams are getting help?" Kiera crosses her arms.
"Kiera!" Harmony gives her another warning look. "It's only coincidence that Eugene and Lance are a team and know how to get treasure. Not to mention that Pascal and Max have been friends for a while. Every single team has their advantage," She holds up a finger.
"Sooo, how are we choosing who gets extra help?" Varian puts his arms behind his back, hoping that Harmony is on his team.
"Daisy's gonna choose based on who she thinks both of us will benefit a team the best," Harmony gestures to the duckling.
"Yes!" Varian pumps a fist, he had this in the bag.
"She'll choose my team first."
Daisy chirps, taking flight and everyone watches in anticipation as she lands on Catalina, causing the red-haired girl to smile. Varian gives a slightly disappointed look at this.
"So I'm with Pete and Catalina and Daisy is joining..." Daisy lands on Varian next, chirping happily at him. "Xavier and Varian!"
"Take a good look at this map, guys," Harmony gestures to the map that she managed to carve onto another rock. "Be sure to memorize it, because you cannot take it with you. It's up to you and your partner-"
"Or should you say new bestie," Rapunzel chuckles a little.
"To find your way to the treasure. You can go by foot, air balloon, or water. Whoever finds it first wins! And no cheating! No copies of the map, even if you wrote it down yourself. And you're not allowed to have the prize if you didn't work together or if you show up without your assigned partner."
The bell rings as everyone gathers around the gates. Varian stretches his arms while Pascal meditates for a little bit. Sweat drips down Monty's face as Vlad takes a step forward. Everyone stands with their partner, ready to go. Ruddiger chitters towards Max, who huffs back at him. Pascal squeaks and the raccoon looks towards Rapunzel and Harmony. Rapunzel is holding a torch while Harmony has a white flag in her hand.
"Good luck, everyone," Harmony tells them. Varian glances at her and winks, causing her to giggle.
"On your mark, get set..." Rapunzel lights the cannon. Hamuel shoots out of it as Harmony waves down the flag. "Treasure!"
Everyone takes off into a run.
"It's sad, really," Eugene speaks up as him and Lance are sitting at a table. "All these people getting their hopes up, when Lance and I are obviously going to win."
"Arrogant much?" Harmony deadpans, hands on her hips.
"Oh, I'll tell you what will be sad. The look on your face when me and my partner get to the treasure first," Rapunzel smiles at him. "Right, Feldspar?"
"Ooh!" His head is stuck in a wheel somehow. "Does anyone have any butter?"
Eugene, Harmony, and Rapunzel help him out. "Uh, thank you."
"You guys are gonna do just fine." He coughs loud enough for them to hear. "In second place."
"Ha ha. Laugh now, but Feldspar and I are gonna be a force to be reckoned with. Right Feldspar? Feldspar?" She looks around for him.
"Wouldn't you just know it?" He asks from the wheel right next to her. "I did it again."
"Good luck..." Harmony murmurs to her sister as she runs off, and she means that a lot.
"Unicorns, unicorns, unicorns, unicorns, unicorns," Vlad recites as he runs off with Monty, who's hanging onto the log.
"Uh, Feldspar?" Rapunzel asks from inside his shop. "I appreciate how excited you are, but you really don't need to pack much."
He places down a rather tall backpack on the table. "Wow...what do you have in there?" She asks curiously.
"Well, shoes mostly. Of course, shoe polish, shoe horns, shoe laces-"
"Uh, you know what?" She rubs her neck as she watches him toss things into the bag. "Uh, why don't you fill me in on the way? We are, ugh, already behind."
"Yes, yes, you're right," He agrees, holding out his hands. She then realizes what he wants her to do and picks up the heavy bag. She puts it on him, slightly exhausted. "Okay, don't worry. We're going to win! After all, we're the only team with a map." He holds out the map on parchment paper.
"What?!" She snatches it from him. "W-Where did you get that?"
"I took an impression of the map," He explains, taking the map back.
"No, no, we can't use the map. That's cheating, like Harmi said so herself."
"Well, that's one word for it."
She sighs at this. "What's another word for it?"
"W-What do I look like, a thesaurus?!" He tries to get through the front door, only to get stuck because of the big backpack.
"Feldspar, come on. We can win this fair and square. We don't need a map!" She insists to the man.
"You know what? You're right, and when you're right, you're right. We can, nay, we must win this using nothing but our wits!" He pulls the bag through the door, falling onto the cobblestone street. Rapunzel rolls her eyes as he actually broke through the wheel from a wagon, which is now stuck around his neck.
"So, wagon wheel, we meet again..."
Stan and Kiera run right past him, the girl in a wheelbarrow. "You know, I can't help but wonder why I have to push you in a wheelbarrow."
"Because I'm not big enough to push you in a wheelbarrow. Now hurry!"
"Oh, I get it now," He comments in understanding.
Xavier holds up a finger to feel the wind. "Mm, a northerly wind is coming."
They see Stan and Kiera running past them, Varian packing his backpack. Daisy chirps as she lands on his shoulder and he nuzzles her forehead with a finger. "If only there were a way to catch its mighty draft and use it to our advantage..."
"W-Wait!" Varian exclaims as he comes up with an idea. "The Saporians use hot air balloons. Uh, I know how to build one!"
"Oh, that reminds me of the legend of a mighty balloon...in days of yore, an intrepid traveler ventured into the sky..." Varian turns around and pushes him forward.
Ruddiger walks along a path in the forest, panting in exhaustion. He turns around to see Max and Pascal headed their way. He hears squawking, looking up to see his...partner peeking at a bee hive. He smiles as he gets an idea, wiggling his fingers together. He takes the now-opened bee hive, holding it over his head. Max and Pascal run right past, and Ruddiger throws the bee hive. Unfortunately, his aim was off.
He cringes at the bees behind him and a few moments later, he's covered in bee stings...
Hamuel looks up, the bee hive stuck over his head.
Pete sniffs the ground, licking the dirt. "Yup...it's what I was afraid of. What we got here is a good old-fashioned Corona sap pond. Okay, girls, to cross this, we'll need expert timing, balance, and agility." While he's talking, Catalina points up to a vine. Harmony smiles and takes it. She holds out a hand to determine the right angle to jump. "Now, fortunately, I've got the training-"
"Later, Pete!" They exclaim in unison as Catalina jumps onto Harmony's back. She takes off into a run, laughing. She expertly swan dives off the cliff, the little girl hollering as it felt like they were flying. Harmony lets go of the vine and they soar into the air, landing on the ground. They tumble to a stop, Harmony's hair lying in the grass in all directions. Catalina giggles next to her as they're laughing.
"Oh..." Pete takes the vine as they stand up, Harmony cleaning herself up. "Okay. Pete, your time to shine."
He jumps off, but he hits the sap...
"Great," Harmony sighs at this.
Lance smiles at the eggs and broccoli in front of him.
"Ahem. Another tea cake?" Eugene holds it out to his friend.
"Why not?"
"Yeah, it's not like we're in a hurry," Eugene looks at his pocket watch.
"Say, is that a new watch?"
"Why, yes it is, old chap. I bought it with some of the gold we're going to be getting from the treasure."
Lance laughs at him. "Good for you. Some days, you just gotta treat yourself," He takes a bite out of his cake.
"Speaking on the treasure, though, old buddy," Eugene pours himself some tea. "Maybe we'd better not take this race lightly. I mean, after all, everyone in Corona is competing..." He looks to his friend and then they start laughing. "I'm sorry, I just had to go there! I know, I know, this is the oldest joke ever, but I couldn't help myself! And I just can't keep a straight face! We are so gonna get that treasure first."
"Ha ha. You said it," Lance yawns, stretching his arms. "Food coma, here we come..."
"Oh, I'm way ahead of you, bud..."
Rapunzel watches Feldspar eating a steak with potatoes and peas. An annoyed look is on her face as he chews very slowly...like a sloth. She narrows her eyes as he continues chewing this way, and when she thinks he's going to swallow...he takes one last bite and swallows it. And then he brings it back up!
"Feldspar!" She shouts of frustration and he finally swallows fully. "Are you, um...almost done?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, but Mother always said never treasure hunt on an empty stomach," He takes another bite.
"Uh, couldn't you have eaten some nuts on the way or something? Did we have to stop so you could fry a pork chop?"
And they literally spent most of the kitchen supplies they had to do that...
"Well yes," He chuckles awkwardly, taking out a napkin. "Wait, Feldspar, is that your map?"
"Might as well use it for something, huh?" He looks back at the map. "Oh, this says...beware the crypt."
She snatches the map from him. "What are you talking about?" The acting queen asks nervously as she inspects the unfamiliar letters. She hands it back to him. "You can read this?"
"Oh, I'm fluent in Saporian, of course. The Saporians invented the wing-tip loafer. Don't you know? Any cobbler worth his shoehorn knows Saporian."
"I will be honest, I did not know that," She looks away. "And unfortunately for me, Harmi doesn't know Saporian that well...what else does it say?"
He clears his throat. "All who claim the treasure shall be made to banana."
"Made to banana?" She asks in confusion and he looks back on that last word.
"Oh, what am I thinking? Zarothay is banana. Zarotho means suffer in an eternity of doom."
"You mean..." She turns him around to face her. "I just sent my entire kingdom and my sister to their doom?"
"Well, suddenly frying a porkchop isn't the worst thing one of us has done today, "He comments and she stands up.
"We have to get there first, so we can stop the others from disturbing the crypt. Here, give me the map," Rapunzel holds out her hand.
"But you said that would be cheating," He points out.
"FELDSPAR!"
"Okay, fine...but can I at least finish my parfait-?" She drags him away instead.
Stan is rowing a boat with Kiera down the river. Vlad and Monty run right past them.
"Unicorns, unicorns, unicorns, unicorns, unicorns," He splashes Kiera as he continues reciting this. She looks up ahead in dismay, turning around and going through Stan's bag.
"Excuse me. I couldn't help but notice you're rifling through my personal effects?"
"Hey, Captain Stashe, look around," Kiera gestures to where the two just left. "We're losing. I'm looking for anything that might give us a leg up." She holds up another helmet. "...You brought a spare uniform?"
"A good soldier never travels without an extra uniform."
Kiera looks up and sees a hot air balloon hovering over their heads. She smirks at how high up they are. "Good idea!" For once during this whole hunt, she's actually glad that she's paired up with Stan.
"Ha, this is so great!" Varian exclaims from the hot air balloon as he's collecting clouds. "I feel like a bird! Which, in hindsight, did actually happen to me."
Daisy flies in front of him, chirping and he laughs sheepishly. "No, I didn't mean it as a bad thing! It's...an experience," He smiles fondly as he remembers him and Harmony doing that little love song together as birds.
"Hm, indeed," Xavier joins his side after elevating the balloon. He puts his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Have you heard of the legend of the lone birdman of Swandalay?"
His eyes go wide as he looks like he wants to be a bird again. "No...I, well, no, but, um..."
"The ancient people of Swandalay were actually a seafaring tribe-" Varian drops his arms in exasperation over the basket as Daisy rolls her eyes, landing on the basket. They both notice what looks like to be another person in the water.
"Uh, hey, look! Someone needs help!" He points up ahead. Xavier lowers the balloon. "Hold on! We're almost there!" They run up to the river once the balloon touches the ground, but Varian inspects it closer to see that it's just a uniform.
"Huh?" He looks at the helmet in confusion. The balloon flies over them. "Hey!"
"What are you doing?!" Xavier shouts at them.
"Looks like we're winning!" Stan smirks at the three.
"You're playing dirty!" Varian accuses them. Daisy chirps at them angrily, looking peeved as well.
"There's nothing in the rules that says we can't be smarter than you!" Kiera quips back, and all they can do is watch them fly off.
"She reminds me of the legend of the Perpetua Demosthenese, the young girl who thought she was smarter than all of those around her."
Varian slams the helmet over his head to try and drown Xavier out. Daisy chirps at him pleadingly and he lifts up the helmet so she can land on his head.
Meanwhile, Ruddiger has set a trap for Max and Pascal to try and slow them down. He holds a rope attached to a stick holding up a rock. He pulls it, but the rock doesn't come off. The raccoon crawls up to it, jumping up and down. He watches the two animals pass by and tries again. A hole hollows out from the rock and he falls onto it. He then moves out of the way as the rock is about to come down, only to get a faceful of honey thanks to Hamuel. The rocks land on them anyway...
"I know how this looks, kids, okay, but rest assured, I-I have this under control," Pete falls in front of the girls, covered in sap and thistles from the bush in front of them, which the two girls crossed easily. "Oh, that-is that a...Well, that's a lot of...can you pry off some bramble?"
"Shoo, shoo!" Catalina tries to get the bird from the nest on his head to leave. Harmony steps forward, flinging some bird seed on the ground. The bluebird flies from the nest onto the ground. The two sigh and try to pull off the thistle.
"Out of the way, slowpokes!" Shorty is pulling Old Lady Crowley with a wheelbarrow. However, he trips and both of them go flying. He lands on Pete while Old Lady Crowley opens up the umbrella she had, floating towards the thistle bushes.
"This is why Crowley works alone..."
"Maybe it's time someone else took charge," Harmony stands up, sweeping her hands. She raises them slightly to create a wagon made of black rocks.
"Cool! But...we don't have a horse," Catalina looks up at her.
"That's where all of his training comes in," She smirks towards Pete. "If I angle this right, I can free his legs."
Rapunzel looks up from the map to see the teams now in close proximity of each other, or at least, most of them. "Okay Feldspar, we will never catch them on foot." Feldspar sits down, some of his items falling onto the grass. "Time for a new tactic. Ugh, think, Rapunzel. Think, think, think..." She eyes the various objects on the ground.
"What did you say was in your bag?"
He stares at her in confusion, wondering where she's going with this.
"And so, goes the legend of the wise man's dummy," Xavier recites as they've taken Stan and Kiera's abandoned boat. Varian's paddling when Rapunzel and Feldspar speed past them.
"Where'd they come from?! How are they moving so fast?"
Rapunzel is on skates, holding the map as Feldspar is holding onto her unbraided hair. "I've never felt so aliveeeeeeee!" He exclaims in excitement.
"Wait," Varian inspects the duo closer. "She has a map. HEY! You're cheating!" He suddenly falls out of the boat, Daisy looking on in concern for his safety. Suddenly, he scrambles back into the boat.
"Using a map is cheating indeed." Daisy agrees with Xavier in anger, chirping as she shakes a winged fist towards the two. "Which reminds me of the legend of the Cheating Willows-"
"Enough with the legends!" Varian shouts out of frustration, padding the rest of the way with his hand.
Another bluebird has landed on Pete as Feldspar and Rapunzel skate right past them. "If only my mother could see me now!"
"Huh? Wait, she has a map! Well, two can play at that game!"
"You have a map?" Catalina asks him as he's not even moving his feet, he has skates on his feet like Rapunzel. Harmony is guiding them up in front.
"No, I do not..."
"It's okay, buddy," Shorty pats him on the shoulder.
"I can't believe my own sister would cheat! And all of this was her own idea," Harmony narrows her eyes.
Ruddiger is creating yet another trap for the other animal team, rubbing his hands together. He's made a hole, having covered it with sticks. He runs off to go hide behind a tree, Max and Pascal running right over it. He looks on in disdain before Rapunzel and Feldspar skate over it.
"Faster! Faster!"
The raccoon looks at the trap, steps on it...and falls into the hole. Hamuel falls into it as well, with a beehive. Both of them get stung.
"I'm free as a bird...is what I would be saying, if you hadn't steered us into a tree!" Kiera exclaims at Stan, as vines have stopped them in place.
"You know, I'm starting to get why they call you Angry," He states while trying to get the vines free. Feldspar hollers as they skate on the dirt.
"You might say, I'm on a roll!"
"She's got a map!" Kiera grits her teeth.
"HEY! Cheaters!" Stan points at them.
Lance and Eugene are snoring, still in the same spot in Corona next to the café. Eugene wakes up first. "Lance!"
"Who, what, where?" Lance sits up in alarm, frosting on his face.
"Look, we have overslept. If we don't hurry, we're not gonna win that treasure!"
"Ah! Caviar Lance!" They finally get a move on.
Rapunzel sighs in relief as they've reached their destination. "Whew! This is it." She moves away the vines from the entrance and they both step inside. In the room is a bunch of tombstones on the walls, with the treasure sitting on a pedestal with the Saporian symbol on it. "We made it here first!"
"Alright, I'll block the entrance."
"HEY!"
Feldspar turns around to see everyone else arriving. "Cheaters!"
"For shame!" Xavier adds in.
"I can't believe you would do this, Rapunzel. Since when do you cheat?" Harmony looks at her sister in disapproval.
"I'll block the entrance from here," Feldspar stands behind the blonde. "If that's alright."
They all step towards the duo. "You're cheaters!" Kiera accuses them.
"Yeah, that's right!" Varian adds in angrily. "B-But you're one to talk! You stole our balloon!"
"That was well within the rules!" Stan defends himself and Kiera.
"Turn me around so I can get in on this," Shorty calls out from Pete's back. Everyone goes back to arguing.
"Stop fighting and listen!" Rapunzel calls out, the room being quiet again. "No one can take the treasure. It's cursed."
"Why should we listen to a cheater?" Stan points at her and everyone seems to agree.
"I'm not a cheater!" Rapunzel argues back, "Okay, you could make an argument that I did cheat, but it was to save your lives! It says so right here," She gestures to the map.
"What?!" Harmony snatches the map from them and reads it. "...Made to banana?"
"Hey, the girl's got the treasure!" Vlad pushes past Monty and they look to see Catalina holding it in her hands.
"No, wait, wait, wait!"
They run up to the girl, and she tosses it to Pete, the chest sticking to his body. Everyone walks up to him, determined to take it.
"Stop! Listen to me, everyone, please. It says right here if you claim that treasure, we are all doomed!" Rapunzel tells them.
"What do you mean by doomed?"
"Clarify doomed."
Eugene comes out of nowhere, rolling to a stop near Pete. "Yoink!" He snatches it from him, holding it up to Lance. Since they didn't hear Rapunzel's warning, they open it up.
"No! Eugene, don't!"
Her warning is too late as a beam of red light shoots out of the chest, going through the hole at the top of the crypt. Some people start screaming in fear as Lance punches the chest into Eugene's hands.
"What did you do?"
"Ten on the doom scale! Ten on the doom scale!" Varian exclaims as Harmony turns around.
"Look!"
She points to the Saporian symbol glowing from the pedestal where the chest was. Rapunzel and Feldspar cringe towards each other and then the tombstones nearby glow. A robed skeleton opens the door from the inside, followed by others. Feldspar and Rapunzel back away until their backs touch.
Xavier gasps sharply. "The legend is true! The undead protectors of Herz Der Sonne's treasure have risen!"
"What?!" Varian asks in a panic. "You know, next time, lead with the—the high-doom ratio legend!"
"Eugene, put the lid back on," Rapunzel tells him. He does so, but this doesn't change anything. His eyes widen as the skeletons advance towards them. "We have to put it back where it belongs!" She undoes her hair, throwing it at a skeleton. It runs up and grabs her, tossing her towards Stan, Monty, and Vlad. Harmony spins around, tossing a rope made of moonlight at it. She catches the skeleton, who grabs the rope and pulls her onto the ground.
Eugene makes a run for the altar, only for a skeleton to stop him in his path. He tries punching it, and the boned hand catches it. He uses Eugene's fist to punch the former thief himself in the face.
"Whoa! I pack quite a punch."
The skeleton tosses him onto the ground, and the chest flies out of his hands.
Lance grabs one, only for the arm to come off and hit him on the head. "Ow, ow, ow! Man, this is weird." The hand tackles him onto the ground, causing him to scream.
Feldspar tries to make a break for it, but a skeleton grabs him and tackles him to the wall. "Oh please. I am but a humble shoeman!"
The skeleton throws him to the group. Rapunzel notices Eugene and Lance running off as Harmony slides past a skeleton, landing in front of the others.
"So much for bringing the kingdom together..."
"What do we do?" Harmony glances over her shoulder to look at her sister.
Rapunzel beams at the chest nearby. "It is not too late to do that, Feldspar," She turns him around so that he's standing up. "We are getting out of this, together. Everyone!"
They gather around in a huddle. "Our only chance out of this is to put that treasure back on its altar. So let's show these mummies what Corona spirit can do!"
"Together!" Harmony pumps a fist and they cheer, running towards the skeletons. Rapunzel jumps onto a rock as a few skeletons surround her. She takes the treasure with her hair and tosses it around above her head like a lasso. She tries to get it to the altar, but a skeleton catches it. Vlad and Monty ambush it, ramming it to the wall. The bones fall from the robe, and the two give each other a thumbs up. A few more surround the blonde, but Kiera and Stan attack the two.
Catalina takes a stick from Pete and uses that to defend herself. Rapunzel sees the chest near the end of her hair, jumping off the rock. She takes it into her hands.
"Out of the way, coming through!" She gasps up ahead. "Eugene!"
She sees him surrounded by skeletons, Harmony running up to them. She creates some black rocks to defeat them, Rapunzel smiling. Then the girl looks to Varian as he cringes at a skeleton in front of him. A tongue grabs the arm before he could strike the boy, and they both look to see that it belongs to Pascal. Max kicks away the head, which lands on Pete. Ruddiger waves his hands to Hamuel and Daisy. The crow is holding a bee hive.
He flies it into the robe while Daisy pecks away at the hands. The skeleton runs around in a panic, causing Varian to laugh. He turns around and sees another one.
"Ah, returned from the grave, I see," Xavier speaks up. "Much like the mummy of Questiana," The skeleton looks bored from the story. "Or so the story goes." Varian takes Harmony's hand and walks off. "You see, there once was a mummy who..."
The skeleton literally drops dead from it.
"You didn't bring your weapons?" Varian asks his girlfriend in exasperation as two more skeletons appear in front of them.
"Didn't think I would be fighting skeletons today, so no," She retorts back, defeating them with black rocks.
"Okay Feldspar, time to separate the steel-toed boots from the galoshes!" He looks towards the boat that Xavier and Varian had. He beams at it, getting an idea. He lets out a yell as he places it down on the rock. Then he grabs Rapunzel and places her on one end.
"Feldspar, what are you doing?" She asks in confusion as he takes off his backpack, holding it in his hands.
"Oh Princess Harmony!"
She raises a brow as she walks over. "How am I on angle?"
She looks over to the altar and then the boat, beaming. She realizes what he's gonna do. "Perfect!"
"Princess, need a lift?"
Rapunzel smiles as she realizes what he's doing. "Feldspar-"
He drops the bag and she goes flying. "You're a genius!" She finishes as she lands in front of the altar. She holds it over the stone and slowly places it back where it belongs. The Saporian symbol glows as the red beam of light hits the crypt. All of the skeletons go back into their tombs and the sun shines in the crypt again.
Everyone cheers for their victory. "We did it!"
"I did it. Alright, we did it. But I did it mostly," Feldspar adds in with a grin.
Everyone starts to leave as Stan pulls Shorty off Pete, who's still covered in sap. "Not bad for a big, dopey guard," Kiera comments as she and Catalina walk past.
Stan chuckles a little. "Aw, thanks. You know—wait a minute..."
Xavier walks past Varian, who's leaning against the doorway. "Good job, Xavier," He speaks up, his hands behind his back with a smile.
"Yes, you too, Varian."
"You know what? Hey, Xaves? I-I just realized something. You, uh, you never finished the legend of the Cheating Willows." After all that's happened today...he suddenly wanted to know more.
"Really?" Xavier looks excited. "Well, it is a rather long story."
"I got time...if that's okay with you," Varian glances to Harmony, who walks up to them.
"It's fine with me," She smiles, kissing his cheek. "Go on," She pushes him towards the blacksmith, the two smiling.
"Hmm," Xavier guides him away. "The Cheating Willows is a story that begins with..."
Rapunzel joins her sister's side, smiling softly at the sight.
"Well, after this whole adventure, I definitely learned something today," Harmony places her hands on her hips.
"That making a new friend isn't that bad?" Rapunzel smiles hopefully.
"No; that I need to learn Saporian from Feldspar."
Both of them let out a small laugh, the blonde placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Listen, I'm sorry I cheated. When he told me what it really said, I panicked...I thought the whole kingdom, and you, would get hurt...I put you in danger."
"...Eh, couldn't really say you did," Harmony shrugs, getting a wide-eyed look from Rapunzel. "I think we've been in far worse situations than this one. And besides, we've dealt with the living dead before anyway."
"True," Rapunzel hums slightly. "So am I forgiven?"
"Rapunzel, no matter what you do, you'll always be my sister. You have a reason for everything. I think I only overreacted because of the race, honestly," Harmony rubs the back of her neck. "Even if a solution is downright crazy...I trust you."
The older sister smiles, placing a hand on her sister's back as they walk away together.
"And so, it is our honor to present to you, our brand new throne room," Rapunzel states as she and Harmony cut the rope. Everyone enters to see all the hard work they did together. "Well, the treasure hunt didn't go quite how I planned, but it did bring everyone together."
"Ah...even if I never got to meet..." Lance sniffles a little. "Caviar Lance, it was still exciting."
"You know, Sunshine, I think it all kinda turned out well for everyone," Eugene puts an arm around her.
"...Oh no!" Harmony suddenly holds her hair in a panic. "Guys, we forgot Old Lady Crowley!"
They all gasp sharply, taking off into a run.
"Is anybody there?" Old Lady Crowley calls out from the thistle bushes. "Hello?"
"Where are we?" Harmony asks as Rapunzel is standing in front of double doors. Everyone surrounds the two. "And why do I have to be blinded?"
"Crown Princess Harmony...you may enter."
Eugene and Lance open up the doors, and her sister removes her hands. Harmony gasps sharply at the sight in front of her.
It's an extremely large room with a high roof, white walls, and roof. The doors behind her are cream colored. There's a big globe, an inventor's desk, some paintings by Rapunzel, a magnificent array of machines, thousands of selves, some carpets, and a few chairs on the marble floor. Blueprints are in some of the shelves with an elevator that has a pulley at the top which leads to the second floor. There are also a few ladders and bouncy goops. There are two long windows with white curtains made of sheer material. There are some stone gargoyles around.
"This is amazing!" Harmony comments as she steps further inside. "Is this the new library?"
Everyone laughs at her question, confusing her.
"Nope!" Rapunzel places her hands on her hips. "Say hello to your new lab!"
"Lab...?" Harmony blinks slowly, unsure if she heard that right. "My-my lab? All of this is my new lab?!"
"Yup. Lance and I stumbled upon on it once," Eugene smirks, crossing his arms. "A secret passageway led us here, and then I found out from Nigel that this room's been abandoned for a while!"
"You have done so much for our kingdom, Princess," Xavier gestures to everyone in the room.
"All of us helped," Kiera smiles proudly.
"We thought we could return the favor," Monty winks at her.
"Do you like it?" Catalina asks, but Harmony is already looking at everything.
"You guys!" She laughs happily. "I get my own lab, I get my own lab, I get my own lab!"
"I think she likes it," Lance smiles slightly, crossing his arms. Harmony turns to the teenage boy.
"You knew about this!" She gasps slightly, hugging him.
"I did," He chuckles at the girl. "You won't ever have to worry about storage again! And there's space for you to take a load off if you want to," He gestures to two comfy chairs in front of a fireplace on both floors.
"Thank you," She pecks his cheek. "Thank you, everyone! Go on and take a look around!"
Harmony runs off to go see the shelves.
"I'm glad she's happy," Varian smiles at the sight, Rapunzel joining his side and grinning herself.
"Me too. Varian, thank you for being there for my sister," She places a gentle hand on his back. "She's gonna need it, and all this space for her inventions."
"No problem," Varian grins up at her. "Anything to make Mona happy."
